Thursday, November 15, 2012

MUNDANE MONDAY~

SOMEHOW~ I missed the MUNDANE MONDAY writer’s prompt.

It read like this:

Monday, Nov. 12 – From Mundane to Magical. Sometimes we can find inspiration in the most mundane moments, such as the wisdom I gleaned from cleaning out my closet. (You can read that post here: http://www.soulinstereo.com/2011/06/monday-motivation-in-closet.html) Take some time to think back on life lessons you’ve learned while doing seemingly dull or ordinary tasks or while out enjoying nature.

So I looked around for something MUNDANE. (as I had not fully read the description of our assignment).

At the time I was at the beach.

I thought about taking a walk by the ocean. I noticed yellow tape at the edge of our dunes, and bulldozers, about a dozen or so, parading back and forth to level the sand being pumped from the ocean to build back the hurricane ravaged beaches. So I sat and watched them for a few minutes, amazed at how fast and furious they worked all through the night. No mundane THERE!

I thought of sitting on the deck counting seagulls flying by. Next door, the house that burned down over two years ago was being re-built and the crew was in full swing (set on fire by teens who thought they would distract the cops while they robbed the houses at the DEAD end road......they got stuck in the sand with all their loot and were caught, then went to jail for arson). NO mundane THERE!

This week on the holiday weekend the owners of what has been a vacant lot decided to put the roof on what has turned out to be a three story towering sunset blocker with walkover to the beach. I went through it after the workers left. There have to be ten bedrooms in there, all with small windows. I don’t understand that at all. But the porches will certainly give them plenty of view. Fortunately, the view to our house is something like looking down from a small plane. They will be able to see my bald spot if ever I get one. NO mundane THERE.

I thought, I’ll sweep the floor or do some laundry. That is my definition of mundane. But as I noticed all the sand, the dog bones, the shreds of paper that my daughter used for a collage, the rubber squares aligned from the kitchen to the den that she was also playing with, I thought, about all of the fun we had collected over the long weekend. Certainly sweeping wouldn’t be mundane! It would be like a scavenger hunt.

So I perused the kitchen for something mundane. There were Christmas tree shaped dolly Madison snacks, chips of every size and shape, shells glued to a piece of paper from yesterday’s crafts. Nothing mundane about that! And then I spotted the one thing that made me think “ahhhhh”.

There was a bowl of tomatoes, some green, some red, that I had bought on the way home from Dallas, Georgia the weekend before. I had displayed them on the counter at home in Birmingham and then carefully packed them to enjoy at the beach. As Friday, Saturday, Sunday and then Monday rolled by, they still sat there in the bowl.

I thought about the joy of the tomato, not so mundane, but nonetheless intriguing. These I knew had come from the ground in a little town outside of Atlanta. They had been carefully planted by hand, tiny seeds, watered, nurtured. As the plants grew, someone reached into the green cover and popped them from their resting place on the vine and carefully arranged them in small bins to be sold to people like me.

I stood in the kitchen looking at a bright red one, like the ones I used to plant in my garden in Montgomery. I remembered taking the time to tear open the seeds at the corner of the packet, seeds I had purchased along with those of cucumbers, watermelon, squash and zinnias (my favorite) one summer. My son who is now in college was only three. My hands were covered in black earth, his enveloped inside my gloves to keep from getting dirty. He helped me squish each one into the ground and water each hole.

When I moved to Birmingham I had two tomato plants by the pool. The vines grew up the fence and every once in a while I would see a glimpse of red through the leaves. That vine was right by the diving board, which would explain why I never got a chance to pick any of those. I saw them squished, tossed, splattered across the yard then eaten by the birds. Kids and gardens, nothing mundane THERE either.

So when I decided to slice those tomatoes that were so red and juicy, the seeds slid across the knife towards the plate. I slapped a wad of mayonnaise onto the top of it, scooped it up and ate it like I would a plum or an apple.

AAAAHHHHH GROSE, came from behind me as my daughter realized what I was eating.

Allison is participating in a daily blog challenge. If you tweet, follow it or join in at #bloglikecrazy to read other participant’s entries. Also she is taking part in ART EVERY DAY MONTH #AEDM2012. Check out those as well or visit www.creativeeveryday.comwww.creativeeveryday.com

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Welcome to the ALLISON ADAMS ARTIST BLOG

I am an ultra-preneur. I've tried the "doing one thing" and it just doesn't fit in with my HappYmess attitude.

So you will find multiple BLOGS for Allison Adams,

multiple pages of information about the

Interior Designer (my major) / REAL Estate BROKER

(have owned two companies, one in Montgomery (partner) and one on the Alabama Gulf Coast)

I still dabble in real estate, manage timberland/ hunting property with our family, and a favorite book in college

was "HOUSE-WISE" where I dreamed of investing in and renovating properties.

I use those passions as a backdrop for my CREATIVE ENDEAVORS.

My husband, Chad Adams, is a CPA and in the Mortgage Banking Business with SouthPoint Bank, so it all rolls together.

But one day, as is the dream with ALL ARTISTS, the CREATIVE part of my soul will feed the dragon that is life!

All around I am feeling the butterfly effect of all of the inspirations and muses in my life that started within the walls of my playhouse as a child, where I would decorate using the sears catalog, teach classes I made up to my little sister and neighbors, and make up songs and draw. I would watch my aunt paint beautiful abstract creations in an historical home with hot pink walls.

Some might know me as the:

Writer- Author of four books:

two I self published over 12 years ago before POD existed, started my own Publishing Company- The Oaks Publishing Co. -Montgomery, AL. (Southern XYZ's Alabama Edition and A Gathering of Angels A-Z with illustrations by Donna Jones).

I was amazed to find as I am writing this post and searched for the Alabama book that there are some available! I though I had tossed them all! But LOW AND BEHOLD...

with one of my watercolor illustrations of the train depot included along with 50 other artists. (Indigo Publishing, Ga.)

Most recently I have tried the POD route, with The 12 Days of Christmas Giving. I am so excited about this book~ the Children are given 12 presents under the tree to GIVE AWAY. The BLOG has a live reading by my daughter of the book by the fire.

Don't hesitate to email me if you would like to host a book signing for 2013! We are scheduling now to release the E-book this season.

After a "name change" and dragging around the remainder of the original 5000 Alabama and Angel books (since 1997) I finally got rid of most of them. I was publisher/warehouse mgr/personal service mgr. (everyone got a signed copy :) I sold those through the Furniture and Gift temporary markets in Atlanta and Chicago so can advise you an any method of book publishing and production.

With POD, (I used XLIBRIS) I happily embrace the "set it up online, we get it available in Barnes/Noble/ BAM) you order your copies at cost...if you need a word change..it is DONE on the next copy that goes out. A remarkable idea.

Did I mention that shortly after the BIRMINGHAM SKETCHBOOK hardback came to print with artwork from over 50 artists who did book signings and promotions with me to no avail, the book went out of distribution as the publisher moved on to other projects and stopped being involved with it.

I do still have aspirations of a New York traditionally published book~ and that one is in the works. But the world is changing as fast in book production as in the music business so we will see!

Magazine Editor: The SOUL Editor position was my favorite. Interviews for cover stories with remarkable people: LeAnn Rimes, Emily Proctor, Christina Hendrix (Mad Men), Patti Hall (The Little Zoo that Could), Heather Johnston (JH Ranch- their remarkable Israel connection), and the incredible Debbie Reynolds who told her publicist "I can't believe I told her all of that!" I feel certain I will be doing that again. I am a woman who loves a goal and a deadline and I delivered every time.

I have held a number of small groups and artist round tables where we get together each week with other artists to keep it fresh. See a glimpse of that at www.highlandartists.blogspot.com

As we age, we ease into the WHY NOT attitude...although I have to say I have been an independent spirit since I was 5. Approaching 50 has pushed me into 4 wheel drive as I embark on all of the goals I have dragged around in journals all these years.

IT IS NOW OR NEVER!

A few years ago we attempted my husband's dream to own a seafood restaurant..that is until the BP crisis.

I used my art to raise awareness of the situation there but we have both decided it is a BIG check off the old bucket list~

and after living there 24~7 we are not sure WHY anyone wants to be THAT happy...

restaurants are bizarre animals..

and it takes a special person to make it work.

Our food however, even after one year was ranked best crabcake in Birmingham and the reviews were great until the price of seafood (oysters at $60/gal) for our gumbo~

(and scared customers of the gulf safety) had us selling BEACH BURGERS (which also had rave reviews)

But it became farther AWAY FROM THE VERY VISION WE HAD FOR THE PLACE...to bring fresh seafood right off the boats from where we lived on the Alabama Gulf Coast prior to coming to Birmingham to here.

So as of June 1, 2010,

Crestline Seafood Company is HISTORY.

Just for fun feel free to check out the history and look at the juicy photos of the food my husband prepares.

I will MISS having seared succulent tuna bathed in ginger wasabi every week..and salmon..grouper, flounder!

I must say the waistline has expanded since we include more steaks (which I love and Chad can make a mean one of) but hey, a girl has gotta eat!

Thinking now is a good time to blog about fitness and healthy eating. He is actually on a walk now as his blood pressure (I'm saying a result of BP and stress of all the filings and what goes with that) is high as a cat's back! ~ he has still not resolved that issue after 2 1/2 yrs with BP) which has certainly not helped his health.

I am still evolving and was blessed with skinny legs. It's the area in the middle I am going to have to blog away! That is what I love about blogging...it is REAL LIFE!

And every day I find new things to explore, learn and do!

We don't have much time on this earth, even though sometimes it seems like we think we can live forever!

There was the convertible phase (twice)...the Harley (rode the twisteys of Bristol, TN) and the Gulf Coast Rides.

Then there was the Allegro Bus we had to get to experience Talladega the way it should be experienced. Tony Stewart was once in our hunting camp so I thought I would give it a whirl. Came to find the pits are hot...no tank tops so I survived 110 degree heat with a leather jacket to cover my shoulders. Ah,

the things you learn when you delve into life.

Now we appear to be fading into a phase of horses.

After eight years in Mt. Brook Alabama we are living on Lake Tuscaloosa~ with our children and our Doberman~ Samson, Pomeranian~ Cocoa (Chanel..Loco...Puff ~ depends on the moment) and a cat who now we just call "Pooter".

I have more things to achieve and learn, like parking the boat! We switched from Lake Martin to be closer to my old stomping grounds in Sumter County, Alabama. I look forward to spending more time with nature in Eutaw, Jefferson, Boligee and Livingston.

My oldest is at BAMA studying Jazz and the "middle child" bringing up the middle with her own talents playing guitar and singing, as is Chad's daughter and we are starting again with a seven year old who is the "typical fourth child" and gets me up after she gets dressed in the morning.

Somehow we were blessed in the musical pool, at least

the kids were. I am still carrying around a catalog of poems I call "songs in the works" but haven't been able to get them tweaked my my master producer son...YET.

The writing...I can handle on my own.

Here you will find blogs that are about love, life, music, art, writing, seminars, people I admire, and hopefully not much about those I don't.

Life is short, gotta live it, learn it and form our own version

of happYmess!

May you look at life as a child does and always enjoy the little things!